Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience

Thanks very much to the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this title. Many thanks, Dave

This is a great book in this crime series set in Peterborough.
I felt that the ending was a disappointment and I was expecting more.
Saying that, it was a fast paced entertaining thriller

This is another good read in the Eva Dolan series. I struggle to like Eva though but the book is well written and has a good, well planned and interesting plot. It is set in recent time and features Brexit, hate crimes and is a good police procedural with plenty twists. Thanks to Net Galley for my ARC.

After a bit of a hiatus Detective Sergeant Ferreira and Detective Inspector Zigic return in Between Two Evils which is the latest excellent page turning crime novel from Eva Dolan.

This time around they end up investigating the violent death of a local doctor whilst one of their previous offenders has been let out of prison on a technicality and is seemingly looking for revenge.

This book gripped me from the first page until the very last with the pace and tension building throughout. It was a superb read and definitely recommended

The Hate Crimes unit has now been disbanded and Zigic and Ferreira are working in the major crimes division. When a doctor is found murdered his background at the local deportation detention centre seems to be the key, particularly as he had recently resigned. Meanwhile a problem with the forensic science team means that a convicted violent serial rapist has been released.
Dolan writes interesting and modern police procedurals. Both Zigic and Ferreira are from immigrant backgrounds and this tension underlies every story. Here the plight of vulnerable women in a detention centre forms a central part of the story and the abuse of power leading to grooming. Similarly the coercion of Walton's girlfriend and mother echoes this from a different perspective. I always like the setting as it is not a big city, Peterborough and the surrounding area has its problems which reflect the life of people across the country, not just the city dwellers and this is cleverly put together.

The fifth book in the DI Zigic and DS Ferreira series and it was great to pick up with my two favourite detectives again. This story is set around a murdered doctor who worked at a all-female detention centre. Josh Ainsworth comes across as spotless, but was he really?

At the same time as they’re looking into the murder, a highly dangerous criminal has just been released from prison looking to cause a whole lot of trouble for the police and anyone else he comes into contact with. Can Zigic and Ferreira stop him whilst working this case?

I don’t read many, if any police procedurals these days, I’m not sure why, but I always, always look out for a new book in this fantastic series. What I love about this series is that the police are portrayed well for a change, not corrupted and nasty. They have there moments of course, they’re human and want to get the villains behind bars, but Zigic wants to do it properly, sometimes having to rein Ferreira in when she gets the bit between her teeth and won’t let go.

I also enjoy the back stories I’ve learnt through each book, getting to know a bit more about them, understanding how the crimes the investigate sometimes make them reflect on their past lives. I learnt loads more about Ferreira this time which was great and helps to understand why she comes across as rather hard nosed at times. Zigic also thinks about his past, when the storyline about his family, particularly his two young sons is mentioned throughout.

Getting back to the investigation I definitely felt like ‘a fly on the wall’ as they tried to work out who the killer was and of course the motive. I was completely wrong as usual, even thinking that they’d got wrong totally the wrong person when I was at 83%! Duh!!!

This is my favourite police procedural series and I thoroughly recommend it to anyone to likes this genre, especially as it doesn’t have as much love on Goodreads as it should!

The fifth outing in this cracking police procedural series. Detectives Ferreira and Zigic investigate the murder of a young doctor battered to death at home. A smart and compelling whodunit.

I love Dolan’s writing; whether stand-alone like the excellent This Is How It Ends or part of a series. Between Two Evils is the 5th in the Zigic and Ferreira series and a welcome return to these two excellent characters.

D.S. Mel Ferreira is still smouldering, six months afterwards, over the closure of the Peterborough Hate Crimes Unit and her and D.I. Dushan Zigic’s assimilation into CID.

Still, the case they are given to handle falls squarely into their previous comfort zone. Dr Joshua Ainsworth has been brutally murdered. He was employed at the controversial and scandal-ridden Long Fleet Removal Centre – a facility for women awaiting deportation. It’s possible that his job was not related to his death but his employment at Long Fleet’s controversial past certainly gives Zigic and Ferreira cause for thought.

Long Fleet has had a contentious existence. Run by private contractors, it has been plagued by accusations of racism, sexual assault and other abuses of power. Staff have been the subject of targetted leaflet campaigns and the centre attracts a substantial ongoing protest lobby. Ainsworth was part of the medical team looking after the women and children and he too has suffered abuse from the protestors, who have gone so far as to identify him in their literature.

James Hammond, the new boss of Long Fleet prides himself on being the new broom sweeping clean, and so Zigic and Ferreira’s enquiries are about as welcome as a poke in the eye with a sharp stick.

Chief Superintendent Riggott, ever keen to please his political superiors, warns Zigic and Ferreira off, but of course life isn’t quite that simple. To add insult to injury Lee Walton an especially nasty, violent serial rapist has been released from prison on a technicality. It’s only a matter of time before he commits another abusive act, but this time he will strike close to home.

This novel works because Dolan focuses on characters and character development, inculcating the societal issues she is dealing with through the lived experience of Zigic, Ferreira and others. We know only too well how awful these detention centres are and what abuses are perpetrated against women and children at the time when they are most vulnerable.

Dolan’s pen is delicate, yet savage as she portrays the potential for serial abuse that this country inflicts upon those who come here in fear for their lives, seeking refuge and asylum. She shows us how it must feel to be insecure, vulnerable and traumatised. Knowing that we are currently extending an unsavoury, racist policy to encompass many more people including those who have lived here all their lives, makes this story ever more poignant and tragic.

Dolan’s writing is finely honed and she tells her stories in such a personal way that the reader is caught up in these characters’ lives, understanding their emotions, feeling their fear and knowing that justice is a long way from their own experience of living in Britain.

She weaves her politically charged storylines together with a fine use of light and shade; providing substance in the fabric of her prose without compromising the skilled progression of this police procedural. Dolan is not only able to take a crime and make it both topical and fascinating, she is never predictable and the story evolves in ways that the reader does not expect.

Zigic and Ferreira are central to this approach. As we understand more of their own lives and backgrounds we understand what drives them and why they react as they do.We see the women in the detention centre through their eyes and that makes them human; unique personalities rather than just characters to whom ‘bad things happen’. These are complex, rounded individuals whose hopes and fears inform us as they search for answers to solve the current crime.

The secondary plot provides a faster paced and tension driven edge to the storyline, coupled with some surprising behaviour that puts Zigic front and centre of a difficult professional dilemma and causes some grief in his usually excellent relationship with Ferreira.

Verdict: Eva Dolan shows once again what a class act she is. Abuse of power, racism and corruption are tackled in a police procedural that resonates loud and strong, using character driven storytelling to shed a light on the powerful individual stories that come from the plight of asylum seekers and refugees in Britain. Stunning storytelling married with complex characterisation creates a winning crime combination and propels book this headlong into the ‘Must Read’ category.

This excellent series goes from strength to strength and Eva Dolan keeps it fresh by mixing things up when necessary. No longer are Dushan Zigic and Mel Ferreira working for the Hate Crimes unit but they are still involved in some fascinating cases. When a doctor in a facility for women who are awaiting deportation or permission to stay is found murdered, there are a number of possible culprits and there are a number of unexpected revelations. In addition a prisoner who is released on a technicality impinges on all the cops involved. Well-written and fast-paced, this is a tense and terrific read.

I was late coming to the Zigic and Ferreira books (I know - you're shocked right?) but I have enjoyed catching up with them and the complex cases that they are tasked with solving. Between Two Evils is their first case following the disbandment of the Hate Crimes unit that they previously fronted and yet it doesn't see them stepping too far beyond their comfort zone, with their main case that of the murder of a Doctor who works in a detention centre for female illegal immigrants. Alongside this perplexing case, the team is pushed to the limit trying to track an absconded suspect and deal with the fall out from a scandal that sees Ferreira faced with an old foe, perhaps one of the most violent she has investigated.

What I have loved about this series is that it is not break neck speed, high action cases that demand the team's attention. There is a deep rooted kind of emotional intelligence attached to each case, an examination if you like of the rights and wrongs of the kinds of social injustices that we see play out in society. This time around the case is rooted in the growth of violence and resentment towards anyone of a non-white British ethnic origin that has been growing of late, a sad case of art very much imitating life.

The story doesn't need the scandal of serial killers or grotesque levels of violence to grab the reader's attention. It's simplicity amplified through the textured nature of the writing does that. I found myself drawn in by the mystery. It was not the act in itself, albeit a fast and brutal attack, but the many suspects and the twisted way in which the story evolved that kept me glued to the page. It is slower paced, but not without tension. The way in which the author manages to deflect our focus from one suspect to the next, even to the victim, is exactly what I've come to expect from Eva Dolan. She has that skill.

She has great skill in drawing her characters too. Zigic and Ferreira are multi faceted, complex characters, each with their own issues and fear, both in and outside of work. For Zigic it is the way the growing racism affects his nearest and dearest, his inability to keep it from his own doorstep affecting both him and his family. Ferreira has issues of her own, struggling a little with memories of her own upbringing, fears of her own deportation and also from a very real and very prominent threat posed against her. It is this latter part which dominates half of the story, the tension pulsating away beneath the surface and keeping everyone on edge.

Suspense if rife throughout the novel, the duplicity of some of the characters often surprising. With corruption and abuse at the centre of everything, it is hard to know who to trust on both sides of the so called law, and there is probably only really one person who never tries to hide their true colours or true intent in the whole story - not that I'd want to come down on their side as a character witness ... It keeps things fresh, edgy, but ultimately compelling. This is another cracking story and it is great being back in the company of Zigic and Ferreira again after a break of a couple of years. Hopefully they will be back again soon. If you've loved this series so far, you will not be disappointed.

This is brilliant addition to Eva Dolan's stellar crime fiction series set in Peterborough featuring the diligent DI Dushan Zigic and the more gut instinct, if more emotional, DS Mel Ferreira. Dolan writes gritty and complex crime fiction, diverse, character driven and which reflects the contemporary state of nation issues dominating the country, but without compromising the story. In a sweltering summer, in a Cambridgeshire village the brutally murdered body of Dr Joshua Ainsworth is discovered at his home, a enthusiastic cyclist, employed at the politically sensitive Long Fleet Removal Centre for women and children awaiting deportation. It looks like a burglary gone wrong, with the victim's phone and computer missing but this may not be so.

The detention centre has attracted a emotive, vociferous and committed crowd of regular protesters and the victim, part of the medical team responsible for the inmates health care, has been the target of a leaflet campaign aimed at those employed by the centre run by private contractors, Securicat. In the past, the centre has been the subject of a anonymous whistleblower over staff racism and other harrowing abuses, although a new head, James Hammond, spearheaded a clear out of those deemed to be responsible. Zigic has been warned to steer clear of the centre by Chief Superintendent Riggott, but as the case progresses, finds it increasingly difficult to comply as leads and Ferreira push for a closer look at potential suspects there. The release of a serial rapist and abuser, Lee Walton, on a technicality, strike terror in the hearts of the police as they know Walton will, before long, strike again. Walton's threatening contact with Ferreira, pushes DCI Billy Adams to co-opt a reluctant Zigic to abandon his usual integrity, to pursue a past case that they hope will put Walton back inside.

Where Dolan excels is in the creation and development of characters that reflect and provide insights into the knotty issues that divide our communities, Brexit, the difficulties faced by refugees and asylum seekers, the racism, the hatred, the real life abuses known to have taken place in deportation centres, and the traumatised vulnerable, and fragile women and children imprisoned within them. We are immersed in the everyday lives of the police officers, their families and relationships, the issues and worries that gnaw at them in their daily life, the budget cuts, the unexciting but high levels of paperwork, and the constraints that beset modern policing today. This is a crime series that is a cut above, totally compulsive, and part of that fine tradition of crime writing that rises above its genre with its finger on the pulse of our chaotic times. Highly recommended. Many thanks to Bloomsbury for an ARC.

I love the burgeoning Zigic and Ferreira series, of which this is the fifth. Eva Dolan's last was a standalone thriller which I enjoyed but in my humble opinion was not a patch onthis one.

I love the two main characters and how their difficult pasts are interwoven so skilfully and empathetically with the plot.

I will not provide any spoilers but will just say that I read this almost tin one sitting and was totally engrossed by the plot and the various red herrings that needed to be explored.

This is a gritty and relevant series that is becoming even better with each title.

Highly recommended.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for sending me an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed Eva Dolan’s This Is How It Ends, and was interested to read this book. I struggled to get into it at first, but by about the halfway mark, I was intrigued to see what was going to happen. I haven’t read any of the other books in the Zigic and Ferreira series, so I had no familiarity with the characters or their backstories.

The book is set in recent times against a backdrop of Brexit, anti-immigrant rhetoric, and the rise of racial hate crimes. It tackles issues of abuse and power. It’s well written, and I felt a lot of sympathy for certain characters.

It’s a decent police procedural with an interesting plot and some twists I didn’t see coming. I’d consider reading more of this series in the future.

This was throughly enjoyable throughout. The plot kept you guessing wondering what the main character was going to do. Good writing style. Easy to read. Kept you on the edge of your seat right until the end

I was absolutely gripped by this tightly plotted thriller. I'm not normally one for police procedurals but I loved that one of the main detectives was a kick ass female detective. With a dramatic opening, Dolan skilfully weaves together two different plot points, building up the tension to coincide with the weather in the book.

I was really moved by the women in the book being held in the detention centre and the women affected by the other attacker. It was a heartbreaking portrayal of how easily vulnerable women can be attacked and preyed upon by men holding power.

I would definitely read more by this author.

Dolan writes intelligent police procedurals with one eye on the current news and a social conscience never far from the surface. For all that, she's never overly predictable (for example, not all the protesters against a local immigration centre/prison-alike are salubrious...) With gestures towards Brexit, the rise of racial hate crimes and a focus on bullying and abuse, this is topical but not at the expense of a gripping story. My only criticism is that we have a clichéd climax which I can't say more about without giving away spoilers. Still, with two attractive leads and a twisty storyline this this superior crime fiction.

With thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the Arc, which I have enjoyed reading.
Between Two Evils by Eva Dolan is another in the Zigic and Ferreira series. There is a convicted rapist released from prison on a technicality and the death of a doctor who had worked at an Immigration Detention Centre. Will the rapist end up raping again? Will the murderer be found who killed the doctor? It is another tense, topical storyline, particularly with Brexit looming and the increase of racial attacks being reported.
It is a very clever psychological thriller which takes the reader right to the end of the book before everything is resolved. One way or another.
Highly recommended.

A really good police procedure book. Very enthrling and entertaining. Great read. Would love to read more from this author